Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is pictured in front of Spain’s national team celebrating its World Cup victory over Argentina. (964media illustration)
Iraq’s Muqtada Sadr thanks Spain for win as World Cup final takes on Gaza dimension
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr thanked Spain on Monday after it beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win the 2026 World Cup, joining a wave of Arab and Palestinian support for the Spanish side.
Sadr posted “#شكرا_إسبانيا” — “Thank you, Spain” — on X a day after substitute Ferran Torres scored the final’s only goal in the 106th minute at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina played the second half of extra time with 10 men after Enzo Fernández was sent off in stoppage time. The win gave Spain its second men’s World Cup title and denied defending champion Argentina consecutive trophies.
The final had taken on a political dimension across Arab and Muslim social media, where many backed Spain over Madrid’s recognition of Palestinian statehood and its criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Palestinians celebrated the result in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with crowds cheering at cafes in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Support for Spain grew after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior officials publicly rooted for Argentina before the match. In a video posted before the final, Netanyahu accepted an Argentina shirt from Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, and said most Israelis supported Argentina “because of Milei’s revolution in the relationship between our countries,” before chanting “Vamos Argentina.” President Javier Milei has become one of Netanyahu’s closest allies since taking office in December 2023.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Transport Minister Miri Regev also posted messages backing Argentina. After Argentina beat England in the semifinal, Sa’ar riffed on the England anthem, writing “It’s coming home to Argentina,” while Smotrich tied the result to his opposition to Palestinian statehood: “I may not be able to enter the UK because I am destroying the idea of a Palestinian state, but two goals have entered nicely.”
The statements sharpened the contrast with Spain, which recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024, called for a Gaza ceasefire and later tightened an arms embargo on Israel, barring ships and aircraft carrying military-use cargo from its ports and airspace. Spain winger Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s league title celebrations in May, and Palestinian athletes in Gaza held events backing Spain before the final.